The small hive beetle,Aethina tumida: a review

A DNA method for screening hive debris for the presence of small hive beetle (Aethinatumida)

“…The small hive beetle, (Aethina tumida Murray: Coleoptera, Nitidulidae, = SHB), is a minor pest of African honey bee colonies (Neumann and Elzen, 2004;Neumann and Härtel, 2004), that has recently become a harmful invasive species (Hood, 2004;Neumann and Elzen, 2004;Ellis and Hepburn, 2006). The beetle has attainted pest status in around 30 states in North America (Hood, 2004) where the economic impact on the Apiculture industry has been significant (Taber and Hood, 2000;Neumann and Elzen, 2004; The objective of this research was to develop a fast extraction protocol in conjunction with a real-time PCR assay to enable rapid identification of the SHB life stages, as well as screening of hive debris for detection of SHB -the method may be a valuable tool to test the many thousands of hive samples that might be submitted for laboratory diagnosis in the event of an incursion.…”

“…The beetle has attainted pest status in around 30 states in North America (Hood, 2004) where the economic impact on the Apiculture industry has been significant (Taber and Hood, 2000;Neumann and Elzen, 2004; The objective of this research was to develop a fast extraction protocol in conjunction with a real-time PCR assay to enable rapid identification of the SHB life stages, as well as screening of hive debris for detection of SHB -the method may be a valuable tool to test the many thousands of hive samples that might be submitted for laboratory diagnosis in the event of an incursion. The method could also have further value for routine surveillance of hives in high-risk areas such as those close to major ports, or where climatic conditions may be more conducive for establishment of the beetle.…”

Organic acids and thymol: unsuitable for alternative control of Aethina tumida (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)?

“…Cohorts of unsexed, 10-to 20-day-old adult SHBs were provided with 5.0 mL H 2 O on a wick (pulp paper, Weiland, Dahlwitz Hoppegarten, Germany) and with~1.0 cm 3 cube of icing sugar mixed with honey (2:1) to prevent dehydration and cannibalism. Wandering larvae were also tested, as they sometimes gather on the bottom board before leaving the hive to pupate (Hood 2004), thereby exposing themselves to treatment agents. The wandering larvae (aged 10-14 days) were sprinkled with 2.0 mL H 2 O per beaker to avoid dehydration (Schmolke 1974).…”

“…With resistance, pest control requires increasing doses of the active substance to be effective, resulting in another drawback of chemical control-the accumulation of residues in the bee products (Bogdanov et al 1998;Wallner 1999;Kochansky et al 2001). Several strategies using alternatives to synthetic insecticides for control of SHB (e.g., Hood 2004;Ellis 2005a, b) have been developed. In-hive traps mounted on frames and filled with liquid compounds (mineral oil, cider vinegar, beer, ethylene glycol, alcohol, and honey) were tested by Hood and Miller (2003) to attract and/or kill adult beetles.…”

“…Adult SHBs feed and reproduce in honeybee colonies in Africa (Lundie 1940;Neumann and Elzen 2004) and cause considerable economic damage to apiculture operations in the USA (Hood 2004) and Australia (Gillespie et al 2003;Spiewok et al 2007).…”